2023 Top Consultants: Sigal Adania

Sigal Adania has more than 25 years of experience. She leads Israel's Financial Advisory and M&A practice and also serves as the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Leader for Global Financial Advisory. Sigal serves on the Deloitte Israel Executive and the Global TMT Executive and she was named one of the 40 under 40 most successful business leaders in Israel.

Sigal established the M&A Transactions practice and developed new offerings to support the end-to-end M&A business in Israel.

Sigal is an expert on advising companies and private equity clients on M&A processes, creating optimal deal structures, and managing complex cross border transactions for entities. She has advised on more than 500 deals and led some of Israel's most iconic transactions.

Sigal holds a CPA and received a BA in Accounting, Economics and Business Administration and LLM. She has served on a board of a nonprofit organization which helps youth at risk.

Prior to her professional career, Sigal served in the Israeli military as a commander, and in her last role, she trained young soldiers to become commanders.

What has motivated you to excel over the course of your career?

At an early age, I tried my hardest to excel at everything. This mindset became intertwined with who I am, and as I grew up, I realized I could extend this thinking to be bigger than myself and really make a positive impact on other people. I am motivated by helping people around me achieve their potential and seeing noticeable improvements in my work, in how my team members view themselves, and in the success of my client relationships. It brings me joy when I can help other people be successful and personally fulfilled.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

I believe my success comes from a combination of building trust in relationships and knowing when to lean in with my teams. First, I have developed many long-lasting relationships, because of my ability to build rapport with people with diverse perspectives. Second, I believe it's just as important to see the big picture as it is to know when to dive into the details, and this allows the people on my teams to have freedom to grow and learn, and also count on me whenever they need help or guidance. These two skills allow me to manage several initiatives in parallel and drive growth for our practice.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

The most rewarding aspect of my career is knowing that I make a positive impact with our people and our clients. The variety of situations, businesses, and people that I get to work with every day makes this even more enjoyable. I might start one day constructing a deal for a very complicated situation, then move to coaching a young woman over lunch, and finish the day with a strategy discussion about a new business model. I can't imagine spending my days any other way; I love the range of challenges and how it requires creativity, continuous learning, and a passion for working with people to make it happen.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

My proudest achievement so far is the fact that I have managed to enjoy an incredible career journey in which I continue to reach increasingly higher levels of responsibility not only in my home country but also globally whilst at the same time being a wife, a mother of three, and putting my family first.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

The best advice I've received is to avoid any drama that might come up and be laser-focused on the results. As a leader, I focus on delivering the best possible outcome and skip the judgements about how things were done previously – and I encourage everyone I work with to do the same.

What does this recognition mean to you?

I am honored and humbled to be considered for the Top Consultants award. Being recognized with this award is a great opportunity for me to pause and reflect, not only on my own personal efforts and achievements, but also to show gratitude to the great people around me who have supported me throughout my career.

It also provides inspiration and empowerment for younger women and demonstrates what can be possible. I have many conversations with young career women and mothers who want to understand that is possible for them, they want to be reassured that they don't need to sacrifice their family for having careers, and this recognition is a testament to what is achievable.

My clear message is that you don't have to give up on your dreams, there don't have to be limits – you don't have to give up on your family if you want a great career."